1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a module IC handler used to handle the module IC as a final product in testing the performance thereof, and more particularly to a method for handling a module IC and a carrier of the module IC handler that tests the same while the carrier containing a plurality of module ICs is transferred between the processes.
2. Description of the Conventional Art
Typically, a module IC 1 refers to, as shown in FIG. 1, a structure provided with a substrate whose one side or both sides is used for fixedly mounting a plurality of ICs and electric components, for example, by soldering, and has a function for extending a capacity when it is coupled to a mother substrate.
Such a module IC provides higher added-value when sold, as compared with individual sale of each IC as a final product. To this end, the IC manufactures tend to develop it as a main product and sell it.
However, the module IC as a product available from the market is relatively expensive and thus entails higher reliability as an important factor therefor. This requires stringent quality test for passing only products determined to be good, and otherwise, discarding all the module ICs determined to be not good.
In the prior art, there has been no apparatus for automatically loading the module ICs as final products into a test socket, testing the same, classifying into respective categories depending upon the test results and then unloading the classified modules into the customer trays (not shown).
To test the final product of the module IC, the operator manually has to pick up one piece of the module IC from the test tray in which the module ICs are contained therein, load it into a test socket, conducts the tests for a time period preset, and finally classify the module IC depending upon the test result in order to put it into the customer tray. This results in lower work efficiency due to manual work.
Further, such tedious repeated manual work contributes to lower productivity.
To solve such a problem, the inventors developed an automatic module IC handler adapted to test the module ICs, which was disclosed in Korean patent and utility model applications.
FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a conventional module IC handler. Referring to FIG. 2, a method for handling the module ICs 1 contained in a loading side tray 3 will be described below.
A pick-up means 6 in the loading side can be moved along X and Y axes 4, 5, respectively. Such a pick-up means 6 is transferred toward the tray 3 located in the loading side and then lowered to hold a plurality of module ICs 1 from the tray 3.
After the pick-up means 6 holds the module ICs 1 from the tray 3, the steps of elevating, transferring along the X and Y axes 4, 5, respectively, and then lowering of the pick-up means 3 are sequentially made, so that the plurality of module ICs can be placed on an upper side of a test socket provided at a test site 7.
The plurality of module ICs 1 are placed on the test socket by such an operation. This operation is repeatedly performed several times to place respective module ICs 1 on all the test sockets located at the test site 7.
When the plurality of module ICs 1 are placed on the test sockets, all of the module ICs are simultaneously downward pressed so that patterns 1a formed at both sides of the module IC are contact with terminals of the test socket. Thereby, the performance tests for the module ICs are conducted using a tester (not shown) during a time period preset of the tester. The test results are reported to a central processing unit (CPU).
After the performance tests for the module ICs 1 are completed, a separate pusher removes the module ICs from the test socket, and an unloading side pick-up means 8 provided on the Y axis 5 holds the plurality of module ICs 1 from the test socket and classifies the module ICs based upon the test results.
The following describes the details of the foregoing, referring to the korean patent application No. 98-1519 filed by the present applicant, relating to a module IC hander for handling the module IC.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, when the loading side pick-up means 6 is transferred towards the tray 3 to hold a plurality of module ICs 1 contained in the tray 3, a finger 10 for holding both ends of the module IC remains maximally opened.
Under such a condition, the maximally opened finger 10 of the pick-up means 6 is moved to the tray 3 along the X and Y axes 4, 5, respectively, until the finger 10 becomes positioned at a position on the module IC1. Thereafter, the finger 10 descends, and then is closed by a cylinder 11. By such an operation, the loading side pick-up means 6 can hold the module IC 1 from the tray 3.
After the loading side pick-up means 6 holds the module IC 1 from the tray 3, the loading side pick-up means 6 is moved to where the test socket 12 is located for testing, as shown in FIG. 3. The pick-up means 6 is lowered and then the finger 10 holding the module IC is opened again, and the module IC is placed on the test socket 12.
After a plurality of module ICs 1 are placed on the test socket 12 by the loading side pick-up means 6, the loading side pick-up means 6 is transferred to the tray 3 side to hold a new module IC 1 to be handled.
Such an operation is repeated. With the repeated operations, all the module ICs 1 to be tested can be loaded into the test socket. Then, with the sequential driving of the cylinder 13 and a poking cylinder 14 being made, the pusher 15 descends as shown in FIG. 4, during which a top surface of the module IC 1 placed on the tests socket 12 is pressed. This makes it possible an electrical connection between the pattern 1a of the module IC 1 and the terminals of the test socket 12, by which the desired performance tests for the module IC become possible.
In the meantime, after the tests for the module IC 1 are completed, the module IC 1 inserted into the test socket 12 is pulled out by rotating a discharging lever 17 using a discharging cylinder 16. Thereafter, another pick-up means 8 positioned at the unloading side is transferred to the test site along the X and Y axes 4, 5, respectively, to hold the module IC 1 after testing and to unload the module IC classified by the test results into a customer tray 9.
However, since the conventional handler directly transfers the module IC 1 held by the loading side pick-up means 6 towards the test socket 12 provided at the test site 7, the following problems occur.
Firstly, since the pick-up means 6, 8 designed to hold the module IC and load/unload it into/from the test socket cannot be used to handle the module IC in a sealed chamber, there is a problem in that the module IC has to be tested at a normal temperature.
Therefore, the module IC 1 determined to be good and discharged is the module IC tested only at a normal temperature. Because the module IC is actually driven at a higher temperature in using such a module IC mounted on the appliances, there occurs a difference between both conditions at the test and at an actual use of the IC, thus resulting in lower reliability of the product discharged.
Secondly, since the module ICs 1 in the tray and in the test socket 12 are held and transferred by the pick-up means 6, 8, the transfer of the module IC cannot be made during the tests. Therefore, an elongated cycle time is introduced, by which lots of module ICs cannot be tested during a given time interval.
Finally, since the module IC 1 is directly handled by the pick-up means, this permits only a horizontal installation of the test socket in the test site. In case another type of the module IC is to be tested, an inconvenience exchanging work of the socket assembly is caused.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a module IC handling apparatus and method therefore by which the module IC accommodated in a carrier is transferred between the test processes for the purpose of further improving the reliability of the product discharged and of maximizing the operation rate of a high-cost apparatus.
Theses objects are accomplished by the present invention providing a method for handling module ICs of a module IC handler, characterized in that while a plurality of module ICs are vertically loaded in a carrier and the carrier containing the module ICs is transferred between the processes, the module ICs are tested at a test site with the module ICs being contained in the carrier, and then, at an unloading position, the module ICs tested are held by pick-up means in an unloading side and classified based upon the test results and the classified module ICs are placed in customer trays.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for handling module ICs of a module IC handler, the method comprising the steps of: holding the module ICs from a tray using a loading side pick-up means and loading the module ICs into a carrier which is horizontally placed and positioned at a loading position; horizontally transferring the carrier containing the module ICs towards a loading side rotator to lock the same to the loading side rotator; opening a shutter of the heating chamber, standing the carrier upright and then lowering the upright carrier, and thereafter releasing the locked state of the carrier; heating the module ICs at a temperature suitable for the test conditions, while the carrier is within the heating chamber; opening the shutter located between the heating chamber and the test site, and horizontally moving the carrier in the heating chamber to the test site; pushing the carrier arrived at the test site in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the carrier to contact patterns of the module IC to terminals of the test socket, and then performing the tests for a preset time period; opening the shutter located between the heating chamber and the test site, horizontally moving the carrier away from the test site and locking the carrier to an unloading side rotator; horizontally returning the unloading side rotator; discharging the carrier from the unloading side rotator to transfer the carrier to the unloading position; holding the module ICs from the carrier which is horizontally placed and positioned at the unloading position, and unloading the module ICs held onto customer trays based upon the test results; and horizontally transferring the carrier from which the module ICs are completely unloaded, to the loading position.